You see, the clock strikes midnight for MacDonald in January, and “The Athlete” will have to decide whether or not to again become “The Correctional Officer.”

“I was fortunate enough to be on a five-year leave of absence,” MacDonald told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “So I’m coming to the end of my five-year leave of absence in January. … To live the dream, to be a UFC fighter and just do that solely, it’s going to come to an end.”

MacDonald made his UFC debut in October 2006 and earned a Spike TV-televised submission win over Ed Herman. Before the year was out, he would add a “Submission of the Night” victory over Chris Leben. At the time, MacDonald was also working in his native country as a federal corrections officer. He took the leave of absence to become a full-time fighter, but he’ll soon have another big decision to make as his time off expires.

“At the end of the five-year leave of absence, it’s either you come back to work or you quit,” MacDonald said. “Fortunately for me, over the past five years, fighting has been a little less stressful because I always had that cushion, something to fall back on.”

Of course, should he quit the job, that safety net vanishes. And as a married father of four, and not to mention a fighter who isn’t exactly knocking on the door of a title shot, MacDonald knows he has to choose his next move wisely. He’ll meet Alan Belcher (16-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC) on the main card of Saturday night’s UFC Fight Night 25 event, but then there are life choices to be made.

“I can really relate to Chris Lytle’s story a month back,” MacDonald said. “I’ve got four children at home. I’m 37 years old. I’m not a title contender. People might say that’s a poor thing to say, but I’m realistic.

“A big win over Alan on Saturday night, and I’m still a lot of fights away from a title shot. You start asking yourself, ‘How many more fights do I want to do this for?'”

But don’t mistake MacDonald’s ponderings for lack of focus. MacDonald said he still enjoys the grind as much as ever, and he’s looking forward to his time in the cage.

“I’m interested, and I’m still motivated to go train everyday,” MacDonald said. “I’m still enjoying it, so I’m going to still do it. The moment that happens, that I don’t enjoy it and I don’t want to put in the work, I’m going to be the guy to step away.

“I’ll be a guy that steps away. I’m not going to be a guy that gets knocked out four times in a row and just hang on for that one more payday. I’m not going to be that guy.”

MacDonald’s career record is impressive, but not unblemished. He never made it to a UFC title fight and more than likely never will. But MacDonald has always given his best in the octagon, and his three “Submission of the Night” bonuses are a testament to his grappling skills. He’s also currently 4-1 in his past five overall fights, and the lone loss came due to a freak accident.

But MacDonald knows his limitations and realizes his time as a fighter is closing. So for now, he plans to enjoy the ride.

“I had a career prior to the UFC, and I’m fortunate enough to have a career to go back to,” MacDonald said. “I realize there’s other things in my life besides fighting. I think I’m fortunate to have those things. There’s a lot of guys out there that don’t have anything. They don’t own a home. They’re just kind of drifters from gym to gym and fight to fight, and they don’t have a lot to fall back on. I’m fortunate enough to have that. When I stop having fun, I’m going to move on in life.

“I’m 37 years old, and I’ve had a good run. I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of great things that I wouldn’t have otherwise had the opportunity to do in life. Now it’s time to start looking forward and moving on. But right now, here this second, I’m completely focused and prepared to go in there and fight Alan Belcher on Saturday night.”

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